DISASTROUS FLOODS.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 June 1917, Page 5

DISASTROUS FLOODS.

HAWKE'S BAY INUNDATED, " . CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE DOMf ' By Telegraph.-PraM Awefetfcfe, .i ■ m " ' Wpier, last" Nig M,' " The floods in Napier district *rm4 ' in severity those of 1897. Large ttntyUw • of the country are inundated. All the country roads are impaßsable. Tho X»- ' pier rainfall tor 48 hour* was 135 lath*. Fifty settlers have been rescued iat£» ' Harbor Board and Biehar<Json'# Company's boats. Big life boat* full of « people sail over the fences. / i Stock casualties are light, aa warning ftaa given, j

There are various rumors at to dtatii* by drowning, but no facts yet. tt 4* ' Raid that one of the rescue boat* was » in difficulties and 2 men were missing,, Many residents of Napier South' 1 it* , living in the city hotels owinjf'to tile , l, deep surface water in the miburhl. Tfuir* " is no train or motor service picr and Hastings. , \ The Aiahura has not yet been reported as arriving at Gisborne. Bh« ulfvt' Monday night. ',<* Taradale is inundated, the bri(lgßLkn \ expected to go. Many of .the cotwfaft bridges are In a bad way. The latut J reports from Fernhill state thattha Ha- .< turoro has fallen slightly and. tke brieve is intact. There is a big slip f totara, and it will be two or three days ~ befora it will be cleared'for traffic. V , ' Ten and a-half inches of. rain foU at Maraetotara in 36 hours. " „.i The Wellington-Napier exprewaplMi ' at Hastings half an honr late, Wtwaa t unable to proceed to Napier. ■ ■ —.)(.

GREAT DOWNPOUR IN rcTfIBQCTt '• . i *1 ;!<' TOWN WATER COT OFF, V ~ Gisborne, Last Night , A storm set in on Sunday night, and , has continued' without remission lints and up to 3 p.m. 7.8 inches or rain hall fallen it Gisborne, while as much 14.3 incheß is recorded in some coontrjr, \ stations. All streams are in heavy flboa, , ' and the Waipawa hag inundated a po?i ■ tion of the flats, and the water it still' ■ rising. ~ 1 U

There is serious damage in various j' part* of the district, but the input «ett"' ' cms is the carrying: away of Biz bridge* - ''• supporting thb pipe which bring* fane :,; borough water supply. This mean* tfit' 1 -/' Gisborne will have n'o water for at lefctti< "+ ten days, and it will cost aeveral then-, t sands to repair the damage. The settlers . have had plenty of warning, and no awi.r' '„ oils losses of stock are expected. -s The Gisborne Racing Club's opening '< day has been postponed till Friday.'on J'• account of tho weather. ? -

VERY.HEAVY FV)ODS. .-,, ' REPORTED AT HASTINGS. , -7 Hastings, Juno It, ' , Tt has rained continually here sine*) . - 10 o'clock on Sunday »nd is atill raliibing. Six inches have already been Wfe'*?.* corded. Reports to date show that thf '" uliole country between Xapier and Stoat ;>; tings.is again under water. The *; train from Napier got through, bnt th» .'; .Wellington express found the permanent way rotten near Whakatu and returned "to Xapier. A substitute for tho espresj, ■was dispatched to Wellington froijk ,-1 Hastings at 9.45, but carried no Napjef.v; passengers. Whakatn is -badly flbqdedlV residents having difficulty in removing;'® themselves and their belongings In dray|' ,! \* to a place pf safety. . ; •'? The Xganuroro at Parndon hag broke* : its banks and Hie surrounding country?' ':'■ is under water. Hundreds of carcases at, .'■ ' stock arc to ho seen floating down tail, -:j river. The bridge at Omahu ,is rocUn# ~'fl dangerously* \ S Pakowliai residents declare that it % {* the worst flood experienced. Tho T4H« tuki river is rising rapidly, but the-,- ''i estuary is clear, although a heavy seal, 4 is running. . _ .'•" i\ A great amount of lurface water U,-$ lying about Hastings, and Many redds, -jj ences arc surrounded by a lea 0' Watte; '.£ One drapery firm reports that stock"-; ■'} valued at £6OO has been damaged. .' t The Ngaruroro at Clive has broken it*'. \f banks and flooded the village. Tho water', !$ is level with the railway platform af VS Farndcn station, and as far as the eya'j| can reach the country resembles a sea; "-\ Heavy slips have occurred on the Have'v\!f lock-Waimara road, interrupting traffic; $ and the working of the telephone. The, flood has reached the Walpata pah, on" y the Karamu road, and is still rising. ■■. '■* The settler* in Uie vieihUy of ings yesterday removed their etoek the low-lying paddocks; (jonsequently;.' < the losses here will not be heavy. The, "<t ■water reached the floor of the office* ;] of the Whakatu Meat Company'* work* jf Two settlers at Omaha report theilon ;fi of 1000 sheep. The water is flowing overs/g the approaches to the Omahu bridgejf-Vs the structure,being in great danger, at-;' the river is still rising. , *i

FLOODS IN THAMES DISTRICT. » J Paeroa, Juno 12., . Owing to heavy rain, the Waihou and*. , O'linemuri Rivers are flooded, and aR : low-lying parts of tho borough and I. rounding districts are under wat#r. Nft ■ serious damage has occurred. 1 ■.